The case for private funding of sustainable land management
This toolkit has been designed to assist those setting up collaborative private payments schemes for outcomes from UK land. It provides guidance on the steps necessary to initiate and complete successful transactions with multiple beneficiaries and suppliers, using insights from participants in our trial scheme in the Eden river catchment in Cumbria. The Eden Model, outlined in this toolkit, builds on previous work by the project partners, including the Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) approach developed by 3Keel, and the Natural Infrastructure Scheme (NIS) concept, co-created by National Trust and Green Alliance (see pages 45-47 for more information). The Eden Model was developed in response to precipitous declines in many environmental indicators globally, including in the UK. As highlighted by the Treasury’s Dasgupta Review on the economics of biodiversity, published in February 2021, declines in natural capital threaten future human prosperity. The review made clear that a fundamental transformation of the economy is needed to protect and restore natural capital stocks, so they can continue to deliver the goods and services required to underpin wellbeing and progress in the UK. Markets for nature-based solutions to environmental problems should play an important role in this transformation, offering a clear route for businesses to fund the protection and enhancement of the natural assets they use or otherwise rely on. Nature-based solutions have clear advantages for businesses, as well as wider environmental benefits for society. Examples include the healthy soils and biodiversity needed to support the UK’s £105 billion food industry, natural flood management methods protecting 2
